


I Wanna Love You Like I Can

by Nixie_DeAngel



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Happy New Year Plans, M/M, POV Steve, POV Tony, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Season 4 Episode 14, Surprises, ruined plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-22 23:01:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17068832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nixie_DeAngel/pseuds/Nixie_DeAngel
Summary: After an unexpected visit from people that were long thought gone, both Tony and Steve have to reevaluate what they want from the present, the future, and most importantly, each other.





	I Wanna Love You Like I Can

**Author's Note:**

  * For [marumo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marumo/gifts).



> I chose to write out prompt 4: Right after the incident in which Howard and Peggy time-traveled to the present... Tony is feeling nostalgia and warmth, but at the same time cannot shake off a feeling of disappointment to Steve's act... Did he really want to go back to the past with his ex, leave the team and Tony behind? Meanwhile, Steve has had a plan to spend New Year Eve and New Year with Tony, secretly.

~~~~(~~~~  
~~~~(~~~~

 

 

Tony doesn’t mean to pull back from Steve once they get back to the tower, going off to hide in his lab.

 _Running is more like it_ , Tony’s mind supplies darkly.

But. Well.

It wasn’t hard when he could still see the bright, warm smile Steve had directed at Peggy playing in his mind’s eye. Wasn’t hard to conjure fantasies of Steve going back with Peggy and Howard, of him growing old with her, getting married, having kids.

It was all just so _easy_ to picture.

 

_Peggy grinning brightly from under a white veil as she strides with purpose down the aisle to a grinning, blushing, bashful looking Steve, uniform pressed and medals shining brightly, the Howling Commandos standing up beside him._

_Steve standing in a backyard, the sun shining behind him, a sweat soaked tee shirt and his jeans dirty from doing work to fix up the house he and Peggy bought, a small piece of Heaven just for them to hide away in between missions, still working on cleaning up Hydra and rebuilding after the War._

_Steve playing fetch with a great big dog, as Peggy sits beneath the big old oak tree, one hand holding the book she’d long stopped reading and the other rubbing the roundness of her pregnant belly._

_Steve teaching his son James, named after his best friend, how to play catch a baseball, while Peggy feeds their newborn daughter on the back porch, laughing when little James accidentally taps into his strength and throws the ball through on of their back windows._

 

Bringing his hand up, Tony rubs harshly at his face as he lets out a huff of frustration. as he squeezes his eyes shut tightly and tries so hard to stop the images from playing out behind his eyelids.

It’s no use of course, the problem with not only how his mind works but also how his brain is wired, means he can’t stop seeing would or what if imagines from playing out in his head.

Leaning back in his seat, letting his head fall back and stares up at the ceiling.

It’s not that Tony doesn’t _want_ Steve to be happy, to have everything he wants. In truth, it’s all Tony really wants for Steve. For him to be happy, to have the life _he_ wants.

But.

It’s just that Tony can’t help but want Steve to want to have that happy life _with him_.

Shaking his head, trying to dislodge the no doubt selfish thoughts, Tony forces himself to sit up and get back to working on armor upgrades for some of the team.

 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

 

Steve bites at his bottom lip, brow furrowed in deep concentration as tapes his fingers against his easel, staring at the blank canvas with unseeing eyes, replaying the way Tony had pulled back when he’d asked about getting some food, the way Tony’d shrunk in on himself, even as his voice had raised, false bravado seeping into his voice as if he was trying to misdirect Steve from seeing if anything was wrong.

Sighing, Steve drops his hands back into his lap, balancing on his stool so he could lean back and see some of his favorite pieces that were hanging on the wall before him. His eyes flickering from the painting of Natasha, to Thor and Hulk, before letting his gaze settle, and soften, as his eyes take in the details of Tony’s portrait in the middle. The soft lines-showing Tony relaxed and at ease, the quirk of his brows and slightly down turned lips as he presses his phone to his ear, right hand idly playing with his half empty cup of cooling coffee.

Steve feels his chest tighten and soften all at once as he lets himself get caught up in the memory of that day. How Tony had been fighting with Steve about how he should pose, joking about letting Steve draw him like one of his French girls causing Steve to flush –more because he could feel himself twitch in his pants– before an unexpected call from SI had caused Tony to flop back into his chair. Steve remembers he hadn’t wasted a second before pulling out his sketchbook and speeding through several before he’d finally gotten the details he’d wanted to immortalize forever.

Breathing deeply, Steve glances over to the cart that held his paints and charcoals, gaze landing on the plain white envelope that held the tickets to a midnight showing of Hitchcock movies, in their original black and white, and remembers how he’d chickened out several times, how he’d tripped over his words in his numerous attempts in asking Tony out.

As on a date.

Shoulders dropping, Steve stared for a moment longer before standing up and snatching the envelope up, crushing it in his hand.

It didn’t matter anymore, the movies were already half over by the time they’d gotten Howard and Peggy back off to their time, and then Tony had run off, claiming a need to do upgrades before Steve even had the chance to try and see if he could salvage their night.

To see if he could finally find his courage and ask his best friend out, like he’d wanted to do for years.

Tossing the crushed paper into the bin, Steve tried to rack his brain as he brought his hand up, scrubbing at his neck as he stood up and walked out, deciding to head to the kitchen. If nothing else, he still needed to eat after all the action he’d seen earlier.

It was only when the elevator started closing that Steve’s head snapped up, eyes widening brightly as an idea started forming in his mind. Lips stretching in a wide, bright grin, Steve quickly began asking FRIDAY about what the grocery situation was like as ideas started going from half thought out too more solid plans.

 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

 

"Boss?"

Tony jerked out of his head at the sudden sound of FRIDAY's voice sounding in the work shop.

"What's up, Fri?  We got an alert? Another idiot trying to take over the city? Or perhaps they’d decided to really up their game, and go for the world?" Taking the time, he carefully shut off his tools, slowly powering them down before straightening up, wincing at the way his back cracked sharply as he did.

“Captain Rogers requires your assistance in the kitchen.” FRIDAY answers, voice perky and suspicious.

Frowning, Tony flicked his gaze up to the ceiling –a habit he’d picked up from when Steve had first moved in and wanted to talk to JARVIS– but stood up and made his way over to the elevators all the same.

It took only but a moment before Tony stepped off the elevator and drew up short at the sight before him.

“Steve?”

Tony’s voice was soft, confused as he flicked his eyes from the table, the plated food, the candles and the hologram-ed _roses_.

“Uh, big guy?”

"Tony!" Steve turned, face lit up in happiness, and strode over to where Tony was still standing, frozen in shock and confusion.

"Uh."

Instead of answering the questions Tony was  _sure_ that were on his face, Steve let out a small, happy laugh as he reached out, his big hands wrapping gently around Tony's on and softly pulled him along to the table, only letting go to pull Tony's seat out before he helped the genius take a seat. Beaming, Steve dropped down next to him, hand reaching out to hold out a glass of rosé to him.

"What is going on here?" Tony felt his chest tighten as a lumped started forming in his throat, his mind racing with the different, most improbable, reasons on why Steve had set the table as if it was out of a rom-com.

Tony watched in astonishment as he watches Steve awkwardly shift in his seat and clear his throat.

"I was going to take you to the Hitchcock festival tonight." Steve starts, his voice a quiet rumble, but Tony can easily see how nervous the other man is. "But than. Well. You know." Steve waves his hand about, as if it's enough of an explanation for their night. "And well. I was gonna see if we could catch the second half, but"

"I ran off," Tony finishes for him.

"Yeah," Steve nods. "And well. I promised myself I wasn't gonna go another year without letting you know how I feel. Let you know I love you." Steve moves his hands away from the cutlery, dropping them down to his lap. "And I know I'm risking everything, but." He pauses, eyes moving to lock onto Tony's slowly widening ones. "I love you. I do. And I'd like to court you." Shifting in his seat but not letting his eyes waver, Steve's flush darkens slightly as he amends, "Date you."

Tony blinks slowly, staring for a long moment, completely frozen both in shock and happy deliriousness. He can't help but stay frozen before a pointed cough from FRIDAY spurs him into action. Instead of giving him an answer, Tony stepped forward, his hands reaching out to tangle in Steve’s soft blond locks and reached up the short distance and firmly pressed their lips together.

Slowly pulling  back after a moment, Tony breaths against Steve's lips, "Yeah. Yeah that'd be good with me, Cap."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! It's my first time writing for AA, so I hope I did the boys justice!
> 
> I'm [Nixie](http://nixie-deangel.tumblr.com/). Please don't be afraid to tell me what you think of this!


End file.
